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"Obinna was shook up. In shock," said Craig Carson, Anoruo's basketball coach, who telephoned the boy as soon as he heard. "At school, we told the players. It was surreal."

Anoruo never had a harsh word to say about anyone, and his teammates liked that. He never failed to call his coach if he had to miss practice, and Carson liked that.

"The players went to all the homerooms and raised $1,200 to help his family," Carson said. "We also had a moment of silence" before two games.

Two weeks went by, and Anoruo returned to school and sports. Carson and Anoruo's football and track coaches told him he could come to them for help.

Meanwhile, Anoruo, whose first name means "my father's thoughts" in the Ibo language of Nigeria, was considering his father's thoughts. "He wanted me to have a good profession," Anoruo said. "Every time we had that type of conversation, he emphasized doctors and lawyers."

Anoruo paid attention.

At 6-foot-1, he is lanky and handsome in baggy jeans and hiking boots. He is quiet, with a smile that plays lightly on his lips.

Taking a seat among a dozen other McAteer class leaders the other day, Anoruo faced the Class of '99 in the cavernous school auditorium. It was awards day.

"Obinna Anoruo!" a teacher boomed from the podium, and handed him a $1,000 scholarship for athletes with high grades. He was then declared a lifetime member of the California Scholarship Federation for his 3.56 grade-point average, and he received two more $1,000 scholarships, three certificates for school activities and a summer internship. When the All-Star Scholars were announced, a teacher read the first name: "Obinna Anoruo ... of course!"

He is planning to attend San Jose State University, not for medicine or law, but for a career of his own choosing: engineering.

Reflecting on the support of his coaches and teammates, Anoruo said he never thought Nigerian-style solidarity would be found in the halls of McAteer High.